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CSA TRAVEL INFORMATION GUIDE
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Contact companies or agencies that may have accounts in your name (e.g. credit card compa-
nies, telephone companies, banks, and other lenders).
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Contact the fraud departments of each of the two Canadian major credit bureaus and request
that a ‘Fraud Alert’ be placed on your file:
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Equifax: 1-800-465-7166
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TransUnion: 1-888-766-0008
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Once notified, these two agencies can provide you with copies of your credit reports.
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File a report with your local police or the police in the community where the identity theft took
place.
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Start a log of dates, person(s) contacted, and what was said.
Passport Expiry Dates – Six Months Beyond Your Return Date
As a general rule, passports must be valid for six months beyond the date that the traveller will exit
the country being visited.
United States Snowbirds
U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) has waived the “additional six months” rule for Canadians,
which means that you can travel to the U.S. with your current Canadian passport provided it will not
expire until after you complete your trip to the United States.
If you are not a Canadian citizen, however, and will be using a passport from another country to enter
the United States, you will need to confirm that your country of citizenship is also being waived from
the six month expiry date rule.
Taking a Cruise
Please note that if you plan to take a cruise while away this winter, there may or may not be a waiver
of the rule requiring passports to be valid for six months beyond the end of the cruise. As you will
possibly be visiting several international ports-of-call, check with the cruise line to determine what
passport rules will apply to your voyage and if you will need to renew your passport early if it will not
have six months clear time left following your cruise.
Wintering in (or travelling to) a country other than the United States
If you are spending the winter months in a country other than the United States, and your current
passport will expire in less than six months from when you are planning to return to Canada, you will
need to confirm that the country you are visiting will waive the six month valid rule. Do not assume
that you can use your passport right up until the expiry date to visit all countries.
Passport Canada
Passport Canada will renew your passport up to a year in advance of its scheduled expiry date but
you may have to provide an explanation if it is not due to expire in the next six months (when
Canadians normally send in their renewal).
Renewing Your Canadian Driver’s Licence and Vehicle Registration
Part of your fall “getting ready to go” planning should include checking the expiration of your
Canadian driver’s licence and vehicle registration plate sticker just in case they are due while you are
out-of-province.